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28
hrmonline.com.au
LIQUID
LIABILITY
Most Australians drink moderately, but the
minority that don't pose a problem for workplaces.
ALCOHOL HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE
culture. Corks are popped to celebrate business successes, the drinks cart is
commonly rolled out on Friday afternoons and office parties are often celebrated
with an unlimited tab on the bar. While alcohol can have a positive effect in
bringing colleagues together, it can also create a dangerous mix.
Despite lurid headlines about binge drinking, most Australians drink
moderately. But some don't. One million Australians are consuming, on average,
eight drinks a day. That translates to the top five per cent drinking in excess of
36 litres of alcohol per person, per year. The question for HR managers is, how
many of that five per cent are sitting in your workforce?
When consumed moderately, everyone knows alcohol can enhance positive
emotions and social bonding. But when consumed in large amounts, it can have
the opposite effect, leading to aggression, putting employee safety at risk and
increasing the incidence of sexual harassment. Social drinking can contribute
to a culture of intimidation where employees feel coerced in order to fit in with
their colleagues. It can also increase the threat of a company's liability for the
drunken conduct of an employee.
A COSTLY HANGOVER
National guidelines for alcohol consumption recommend that healthy men and
women drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime
risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury. However, a recent study
from the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA)
at Flinders University suggests that many Australian workers are drinking at
harmful levels. The study shows that hangovers cost businesses $3 billion a year in
absenteeism and make up for 11.5 million sick days.
Workplace attitudes might contribute to this cost. Ken Pidd, deputy director
(research) of NCETA and co-author of the study, says many employers are
inconsistent in their attitudes toward alcohol in the workplace or at work events.
"If you encourage sitting around the office or factory having quite a few beers
on a Friday afternoon, what that's doing is sending out mixed messages. People
might say they've turned up to work hungover or intoxicated because they were
drinking at work the night before."
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